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Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is a delicious copycat version of Panera's Butternut Squash Soup. Made with rich spices, earthy butternut squash, and sweet apple cider, this easy Instant Pot Soup recipe comes together in under 30 minutes for a fraction of the cost of Panera's famous soup!
Better than Panera
If you love Panera's Butternut Squash Soup, you'll love this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup recipe.
This soup perfectly mimics the flavors of Panera's Squash Soup. It is creamy and earthy from the butternut squash, sweet from the apple cider, warming from the cinnamon and nutmeg, and distinctive from the addition of curry powder.
But yet, this recipe for Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is BETTER than Panera's version.
Why? Because you can make this Instant Pot Squash Soup for pennies, with much less fat and calories. And because this cozy soup comes together almost effortlessly, you can enjoy it any time the craving strikes.
How to Make Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sauté the Onion and Garlic. Taking the time to sauté the onions and garlic in a bit of oil will help to deepen their flavors and mellow out the onion. It takes a few extra minutes, but the effort is well worth it.
- Deglaze Inner Pot. Any time you sauté ANYTHING in the inner pot, add a little liquid and scrape the bottom. This is crucial for preventing a dreaded burn notice. For this recipe, I use a combination of apple cider (not apple cider vinegar!) and chicken or vegetable broth to create a sweet and savory broth that replicates the flavor of Panera's Autumn soup.
- Add Squash and Spices. Once the inner pot has been deglazed, stir in the cubed butternut squash, grated ginger root, curry powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pressure Cook with Natural Pressure Release. Close the pressure cooker and seal the vent knob. Set to cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes. Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes. This is CRUCIAL, as doing a quick release of pressure will result in hot liquid spewing all over the kitchen.
- Blend Soup. After releasing the pressure, blend the soup to give it a creamy consistency. You can use an immersion blender and blend right in the inner pot, or transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. If using a blender, leave the lid cracked to let steam escape.
- Add Cream. Adding a bit of cream (or plain yogurt) makes the soup taste oh so luxurious and helps thicken it.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup with a Copycat Panera Turkey Sandwich or Copycat Panera Greek Salad for your own homemade take on Panera's famous Take-Two.
Recipe Modifications
- Use Frozen Cubed Butternut Squash: Add 20 ounces of frozen squash right to the soup without defrosting. No changes to the cooking time are needed.
- Make it Lighter: Swap the heavy cream for plain Greek yogurt, which adds creaminess while keeping fat and calories lower.
- No Apple Cider? You can use 100% apple juice, or, for a less sweet soup, use vegetable broth instead of apple cider.
- Hate Curry? Simply omit the curry powder.
Storage Directions
- Refrigerate: To store leftover Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, let the soup cool slightly, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don't recommend freezing this soup because of the dairy.
- Reheat: Place individual servings in a heat-safe bowl, cover with a damp paper towel, and heat in 60-second intervals until warmed through, stirring in between intervals.
More Delicious Instant Pot Soup Recipes
After giving this butternut squash soup a try, browse my collection of Instant Pot soup recipes or try another favorite from below:
- Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Orzo Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
If you tried this Copycat Panera Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup recipe, I would love to hear how you enjoyed this soup! Be sure to leave a review below!
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Video
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups apple cider or apple juice, DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!!!
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 5 cups cubed butternut squash, cubed into 1-inch cubes (about 1 butternut squash)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon curry powder, see note
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream, or Plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté, add the oil, and let it heat for about 1 minute. Once heated, add the minced onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Hit Cancel to turn off the Sauté function.
- Add the apple cider to the inner pot, then use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot.
- Stir in vegetable broth, cubed butternut squash, cinnamon, curry powder, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and pepper.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Set to cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. (Hit the manual/pressure cook button and adjust the timer to 15 minutes using the + and - buttons.)
- Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release for at least 10 minutes before manually releasing pressure.
- Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Alternatively, ladle the soup into a blender and carefully blend the soup in batches, leaving the lid cracked on the blender to allow steam to escape.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, then put the lid back on the Instant Pot and let it sit for a few minutes to let the cream warm through before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The flavor was amazing but mine didn’t come out thick at all, very liquidy and I can not figure out why?
Hi Jenni! This isn't a super thick soup. To thicken and reduce (if desired), you can turn to saute after blending and let the soup simmer with cream to thicken as desired.
This tastes nothing like Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup. Really disappointed that I wasted my ingredients. It’s not even that good. The broth overpowers the other flavors.
Hey! I hate hearing you didn't enjoy this soup. The broth shouldn't overpower anything. Did you use apple cider vinegar vs regular apple juice or cider?
Where’s the carrot? Panera lists it in their ingredients.
Hi Debi! This soup replicates the flavor of Panera Soup but does not claim to be an exact duplicate. Feel free to add a minced carrot if desired 🙂
I plan on using some frozen butternut squash that I cubed and froze. I notice above it says to just add it in and no change to cooking time, but in the notes below it says if using frozen to reduce the cooking time to 7 minutes. Could you clarify for me? Thanks!
Hi Beth! Sorry for any confusion, there is no need to reduce the cooking time. Simply add the frozen squash right to your soup and cook as directed.